Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman's diet bond

Anne Hathaway didn't recognise herself when she transformed for her role in Les Miserables.Photo / Supplied

Anne Hathaway says she bonded over strict movie diets with her latest co-star Hugh Jackman.

The actress had to lose a staggering 11kg for her role in the hotly-anticipated film Les Miserables.

Hathaway went to extreme lengths to play the role of disease-stricken prostitute Fantine, eating just two thin squares of dried oatmeal paste a day for two weeks.

Jackman had to drop 13kg for his part in the film and the stars supported each other by swapping diet sob stories.

"I can have half a potato for my next meal!" Hathaway says she told Jackman while on set one day.

Hathaway recalled the story while at director Tom Hooper's series of screenings of the hotly anticipated musical adaptation at Alice Tully Hall in New York City on Friday.

The actress also had to shave her long brunette hair for the role and joked she barely recognised herself after transforming for the film - claiming she looked more like her older brother Michael.

"When I eventually looked in the mirror I just thought I looked like my gay brother," she said at the screening.

Over the weekend, the cast also travelled to Los Angeles for multiple screenings of the movie - with Barbra Streisand spotted in attendance at one viewing.

Les Miserables also stars Kiwi actor Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen.

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